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Premium Trust Bank unveil Amusan, Brume as Ambassadors

Published

4 years ago

September 14, 2022

It was with fun and pageantry that one of the newest financial institutions in the country, Premium Trust bank unveiled two of Nigerians biggest athletes, Tobi Amusan and Ese Brume as their Brand Ambassadors.

Tobi Amusan in 2022 had blaze several trails culminating in winning the World Championships and creating a new World Record in the Women 100m hurdles, first for any Nigerian living or dead, while Brume has been consistent since winning a bronze medal at the last Olympic Games in Tokyo before further medals at the World Indoors, World Championships and the Commonwealth Games.

Speaking at the unveiling, the minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, said the two athletes signpost the future of the country’s athletes.

He also called on corporate organisations and individuals not to wait until the athletes are crown champions before associating with them, they should invest with them when they are young.

“These athletes never relent, always thrive, consistent in their performances,” the minister said.

“Even on the big stage, they knew they had it in them and they never stop and when the time came, they showed up big time, they showed up for themselves first having done the sacrifices, gone through the discipline, because if you have talents and you don’t add discipline to it, you cannot excel.

“I want to thank Tobi for doing that job in Oregon, not just breaking the record, but breaking it twice same night. I am thanking you on behalf of this country Nigeria, we are grateful.

“Brume on her part, most telling moment for me at the Olympics in Tokyo was the moment finished fourth in her race, the only person that could comfort her is Ese, not even her coach could do that, I am happy seeing the two of them here, happy to see what they have attained so far.

“Ese came third at the Olympics, but to us, it was a Golden Bronze, thank you because when you came to the Commonwealth games, you did it again.”

Also speaking at the unveiling, the MD/CEO of the bank, Emmanuel Emefienim, said the major goal of the bank is to support growth hence the maxim ‘Together for Growth’.

According to Emefienim, they decided to associate with the two renown athletes to drive towards enabling growth they put into their story.

He added: “This should serve as motivation to other athletes who dare to be different and win no matter their background, obstacles they have been through to get to where they are today.

“The two athletes’ story is just like the bank and I am happy with where we are today and we hope the partnerships bring great impact to the athletes, the sports industry and the country.”

The two athletes appreciated the bank for counting them worthy to be the Brand Ambassador and promised to maintain the standard expected of them.

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Alake Inaugurates Nigeria-US Solid Minerals Committee, Dismisses $700bn Claim, Says No Assets Sold

Published

2 days ago

October 28, 2026

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, on Tuesday inaugurated the Nigeria-United States Committee on Strategic Cooperation in the Solid Minerals Sector in Abuja, dismissing reports that Nigeria sold $700 billion worth of solid minerals to the US.

The inauguration followed the strategic cooperation framework established between Nigeria and the United States during the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.

In a statement issued on Wednesday by the Head PRESS and Public Relations Department Mrs. Kania Maliki Andeyaba stated that, Alake in the Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, signed with the US is a government-to-government platform to facilitate business-to-business engagements between American investors and Nigerian local operators, not a sale of assets.

Harping on the importance of the solid minerals sector to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s economic diversification agenda, he noted that the administration was committed to reducing dependence on a mono-product economy through the sustainable development of Nigeria’s vast mineral resources.

According to him, the Nigeria–US partnership as a strategic initiative to attract investment, promote technology transfer, strengthen local mineral processing and create employment opportunities.

“There is no sale of any Nigerian asset. There’s nothing exchanging hands,” Alake declared.

“We created a platform to facilitate mingling of US investment ventures with Nigeria’s local operators. It is in the public domain. We signed it in public and published it in four or five national newspapers.”

The Minister said reports claiming the US was coming to take over Nigeria’s minerals and security architecture were untrue at best and products of riotous imagination at worst.

Explaining the policy thrust, Alake said Africa has historically held the short end of the stick in global economic transactions, and Nigeria is determined to change that model.

“We have the resources, the critical elements the world needs to transit to clean energy. So we are creating a new paradigm — you bring your capital, expertise and technology, to match with our natural resources and create a win-win situation . The investor gains, Nigeria gains.’’he said.

Nigeria, he stressed, had operated a mono-cultural economy dependent on oil, while solid minerals were exploited informally — with ores taken “from pit to port” without value addition.

Alake said government has now made local processing mandatory, refusing to grant mineral titles to investors without a clear pathway to processing in Nigeria.

He said the policy led to the springing up of processing factories, including the largest lithium processing plant in West Africa commissioned recently in Nasarawa by the Vice President, and informed the formation of the African Minerals Strategy Group.

Alake noted that investor confidence has returned due to macro-economic reforms by President Bola Tinubu that guarantee security of tenure and repatriation of profits.

He charged the committee to discharge its assignment responsibly, saying its work is strategic to achieving the President’s $1 trillion economy target.

To this end, he told the Committee to ensure effective coordination, identify investment opportunities and translate the framework into measurable outcomes capable of positioning Nigeria as a competitive player in the global solid minerals industry.

In his welcome address, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Engr. Faruk Yusuf Yabo, said the inauguration translates growing bilateral engagements into a structured framework for practical cooperation and investment mobilization

Economic Officer at the US Embassy, Jonathan Baas, said President Donald Trump has prioritized three areas for US embassies — energy, artificial intelligence/super intelligence, and critical minerals.

Baas said Washington’s direction is to work with partners to secure critical supply chains while ensuring partners capture value.

“We just signed a contract today on looking into building AI data centres in Nigeria at the Nigerian Economic Summit. That’s the direction Washington wants us to go,” he said.

In his vote of thanks, CEO/Managing Director of Nigeria Solid Minerals Company, NSMC said that the committee

is expected to coordinate implementation, facilitate investment and monitor progress towards achieving the objectives of the Nigeria–US cooperation framework.

The inauguration reinforces the Federal Government’s commitment to repositioning the solid minerals sector as a key driver of economic diversification, industrial development and national prosperity under President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

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